Anna

Planning our trip to Brugge and beyond now and I am thinking of maybe flying into Amsterdam as flights are less expense than to Brussels. It will be a long, long trip for us as we are coming from rural Oregon, so I know we will be very tired and jet-lagged once in Europe. I was just watching a video of Rick Steves and he was suggesting people who fly into Amsterdam go directly from the airport to Haarlem. Said it was a better first stop as it is not as jarring a transition (even more so for folks from a very quiet rural area as we are). We've never been to Haarlem and wondered what others who have think of that suggestion of going directly there from the USA? What did you like in Haarlem? Is one night there enough? How do you get there from the Amsterdam airport?

Russ

It's not that Haarlem is all that interesting - it's just a bit calmer than Amsterdam, and it makes a good base for exploring the coast and other points in the region. It's a little more expensive than it should be to overnight there - probably thanks to the promotion<BR>of the place by R. Steves.<BR><BR>I think it's wise to avoid a long road trip on your first day, but unless you have definite plans to see Holland, I wouldn't bother to stay there. Why not just take the train from Schiphol to Brugge after you arrive and relax, have some refreshments, nod off, whatever, on the train? Then, you'll end up where you want to be and can pick up a car there, if that's your intention.

jeff

I am of the jet lag school that the last thing you want to do is nod off after reaching Europe. I try to stay active until a reasonable European bedtime. Getting on a train will not help you accomplish this, and you will have already traveled for such a long time. Therefore, I would suggest finding an interesting place to stay before venturing to Brugge. Whether that place is Haarlem depends on you. Haarlem is a wonderful town. I have spent several nights there on 2 trips. And it is interesting. No, it isn't Amersterdam, but it has its own charm: St. Bavo's Church, the square, the Teylor's museum. In short, Haarlem makes a good base for exploring Holland, but may not be great for purposes of getting to Brugge. However, if you have time, spend a couple nights in Haarlem and day trip to A'dam, Delft, the Keukenhof, etc. Regarding expense: Haarlem is probably more expensive than IT should be, but I have always found it cheaper than similar lodging in A'dam.

Rex

Let me propose Edam as a "Rick-Steves-free" alternative to Haarlem. In all fairness to Haarlem, I have never been there. But I have enjoyed a very pleasant day/dinner/night in Edam, and think you could acclimate to "Europe time" very nicely there. I agree with the counter-jetlag approach based on "stay active" that whole first day.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Joe

Jeff's suggestions are very sound. We used Haarlem as a base for our first few nights in Holland taking daytrips to Delft, Den Haag, Arnhem, etc., before moving down to Brugge. It is a charming little city, convenient to the cities indicated and to the Schiphool Airport (takes just a few minutes to get there). I have no special emotion for Rick Steeves either way. He is a useful resource, especially to new travelers. We had two very nice dinners in Haarlem; one at a Rice Table, which name escapes me, but it is across from St. Bavo's Church, and, the other at a very nice Bistro, Quatre Mains. Walk through the town to the canal on the farside of St Bavo's and ride the little mechanized barge (more like a floating platform) that takes people and cars across the canal. The operator of the barge, platform, whatever, is in seamans garb with a captain's hat has a full silver-gray beard, is tall and as romantic looking a Dutchman as you will find anywhere. My wife insisted that I take their picture togethor. I spent the rest of the day trying to compensate for my ordinariness. The architecture, especially canal-side is charming.

Rex

topping real questions, seeking to get things back to travel, even if only a little bit...

John Bermont

Anna, You've certainly been there and done that by now but I hope you did visit Haarlem. It should be good for 2 or 3 days at least. I lived there for 2 years in the 1970s and recommended it highly in my book HOW TO EUROPE (1982). I lived there again from 1997 to the end of 1999. It is a jewel of a city and only 15-20 minutes by train to A'dam or the beach resort city of Zandvoort. The Michelin Green Guide Netherlands is an excellent resource; the VVV (city tourist office) is on the SW corner of the train station. My data sheet for Netherlands at www.enjoy-europe.com/cds/holland.htm can give you the rudiments. One way to get to Haarlem from Schiphol is by train from the cellar station at the airport; change at Sloterdijk. Or use the special taxis of Kramart 'te Voort, tel +31-(0)23-515-5555; that was f25 (about $10) two years ago for service to your door. <BR>John <BR>

Philip

I am not so sure that arriving in Haarlem is the best choice. I didn't find Amsterdam at all jarring, but rather nice. It doesn't feel like a big city, it's rather small and quaint in my opinion. Amsterdam, being a major city, has more choices for hotels & restaurants that fit every budget. I have found it more "English-speaker" friendly. You can get to Haarlem from Schiphol Airport by using the train. You can also use the train from the airport to Amsterdam, but there are also private buses (I think run by KLM) that hit all of the major hotels in Amsterdam. <BR> <BR>I think Haarlem is a wonderful town and you should definitely visit it. If you have time, take the tour of the ten Boom House. The ten Boom Family hid Jews during WWII and you can still walk into the hiding place as part of the tour. One of the daughters, Corrie ten Boom, wrote about hiding the Jews in a book called "The Hiding Place". <BR>